The Runaway Recliner

A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk.

A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers.

Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. Anderson was not seriously injured, but was also very lucky.

Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and even had a stereo and cup holders for the pilot's comfort.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Heather Sweetland stayed 180 days of jail time and ordered two years of probation for Anderson. His attorney, David Keegan, did not immediately return a call for comment.

The Proctor Police Department will put the motorized lounge chair up for auction after it was seized in the drunk driving incident.

Source: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com

Built on top of a riding lawn mower engine, the customized chair is decorated with stickers proclaiming "Hell yeah, it's fast" and "I smoked your (expletive)" and can reportedly reach an impressive (for a lounge chair) top speed of around 15 mph.

The black and blue pleather lounge chair, pictured in this undated police handout, comes complete with stereo, footrest, cupholders, headlights, a nitrous oxide power boost system, a drag racing-style steering wheel and is even equipped with a parachute.



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